Caregiver Accused of Theft

A caregiver was arrested after she allegedly stole nearly $8,000 from an elderly woman in her care, according to officials.

Paulette Smith, 51, was arrested Thursday and charged with financial exploitation of an elderly person, grand theft and organized fraud.

The 77-year-old victim’s daughter reported the allegations to Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies.

According to a deputy’s report, the daughter noticed suspicious transactions on her mother’s checking account. When she asked her mother why she was spending so much money, the victim said she never made those purchases.

The daughter then reportedly called Smith to ask about the money. According to the report, Smith said she took the money because her Veteran’s Affairs checks were not coming. Smith also reportedly said she was going to return the money before the victim noticed.

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Caregiver Arrested, Accused of Stealing $8K From Woman